Jonathan Kuminga
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Jonathan Kuminga is reportedly "shocked" to have been traded from the Warriors to the Hawks
The Golden State Warriors have been busy ahead of the trade deadline in an effort to reinforce their roster for a potential playoff run. Late on Wednesday night, the Warriors finally granted Jonathan Kuminga his trade request, sending him and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis.
For months, Kuminga has been at the forefront of trade rumors, and Golden State finally decided to send him packing. And yet, while Kuminga has actively been working to find his way off of the Warriors, he is reportedly “shocked” to have landed with the Hawks, as they were simply not a team he believed was interested in him.
Jonathan Kuminga ‘Shocked’ to Find his Way to the Hawks
Dalton Johnson
As for the Jonathan Kuminga side of last night’s trade, sources say he was “shocked” to be sent to the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks aren’t a team that his camp kept contact with and Atlanta was an “out of left field” destination
Fresh start feels good for both sides
To say that Kuminga has had a confusing start to his career in the NBA might be an understatement. After getting selected with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Kuminga frequently flashed his potential with the team, but he struggled to find a way to earn more minutes in head coach Steve Kerr’s rotation.
Tension between Kuminga and Kerr has boiled over the years, leading to the standstill that has taken place over the past year or so. Whenever Kuminga has found himself on the floor, he’s generally held his own, but his poor relationship with Kerr seemed to hold him back. Whether he was missing games due to injury or not being used by Kerr, Kuminga has rarely played this season, appearing in only 20 games to this point.
The problem was that Golden State did a poor job of hiding its disdain for Kuminga, which made trading him a very difficult task. Atlanta finally came to the table and took him off the team’s hands, but it appears to have caught Kuminga off guard. Regardless, the two sides will get a fresh start now, which is about the best thing that could have happened as a result of this deal.
“As for the Jonathan Kuminga side of last night’s trade, sources say he was ‘shocked’ to be sent to the Atlanta Hawks,” Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area reported in a post on X. “The Hawks aren’t a team that his camp kept contact with and Atlanta was an ‘out of left field’ destination. Fresh start feels good for both sides.”
Warriors Hoping Kristaps Porzingis Pans Out After Swinging Big Trade
GettyAtlanta Hawks center Kristaps Porzingis runs down the court. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
With the Kuminga cloud no longer hovering over the Warriors’ head, they are now going to look to make a run now that they have added Porzingis into the fold. The Latvian big man has been solid when he’s been on the court this year (17.1 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 2.7 APG, 45.7 FG%), but he’s only played in 17 games, as he continues to struggle to stay on the floor.
There’s no doubt that this move comes with quite a bit of risk for Golden State, but the front office felt it was a shot worth taking in an effort to maximize its shrinking title window. Stephen Curry isn’t going to be around for much longer, so the Warriors are doing whatever they can to win while he’s still in town. Whether or not this move helps them, though, both now in the long run, is a big question mark for the time being.